Conference 7.286::dcu

    
    Who told you this????   Please get names and call DCU and/or the NCUA
    ASAP.  
    
    Article 2, section 2 of the Bylaws say they can DENY you membership but
    they must state why IN WRITING, upon written request.  I'm sure the
    NCUA would be interested in knowing reasons why people are being denied
    the opportunity to join a credit union.
    
    Has it come down to threatening members???

        Take it easy, this is an old "policy". It is based on the stupid
        software that the DCU uses. At any other institution, once you
        close an account, it remains closed forever. They just open up a
        new account and give you a new number. Easy, no?
        
        The problem is that DCU uses your badge number for your account
        number. Thus there is no "new" number for you to use to open up
        your new account. Sounds more like a bug than a feature to me. If
        you really have a problem with this, I'd suggest that if you ever
        want a new account, to open up one as a "spouse", where they just
        put a "1000" or "2000" or whatever in front of your badge number.
        If they can open an account for my wide, who doesn't have no
        stinken badge number, they should be able to open a new account
        for an ex-member.

    
    RE: .2
    
    You're kidding.  Being familiar with bits'n'bytes, seems it should be a
    5 minute hack to remove the closed designation from an account.

    This happened to an acquaintance of mine a few years ago.  She left
    DEC, closed her DCU account.  Some years later, she rejoined DEC, but
    was refused a DCU account for the very reasons given here.  This
    happened a couple of years ago, so it clearly isn't a matter of threats
    due to the recent hubbub.

    I would hope that this is just a mixup on the part of the worker bees. 
    I hope that they have stumbled across something that their manuals
    don't tell them how to handle and they just shrug their shoulders and
    tell you to go away.
    
    I would hope that a branch manager knows how to deal with this problem
    and can provide a workaround.
    
    If not, then all is hopeless, and they should just go out of business.
    Or, all of management should be replace the entire management structure
    with people who treat us as owners and partners (THEIR BOSSES) and not
    just a captive customer  base that serves as drones to justify their
    own existence.

Let me get this straight...there's a snafu in their bookkeeping software that
prevents you from re-opening an account using an old account number.  Based on
this problem, they DENY somebody the privilege of coming back to DCU after 
they've gone away?

Sheesh...even AT&T has a Welcome Back American plan!

"Sorry sir, but we can't figure out how to use our confusers, er, computers,
so better take that $10,000 and go somewhere else with it."

(*sigh*)
/chris

Hey it worked for me.  I opened an savings account back in 86 so I could apply
for a car loan, decied GM had a better deal.  I forgot about the account until
I got an inactive fee.  I closed the savings account late in 86.  I opened a
new one earlier this year because ZKO had an ATM.  No problems opening the
account.  I don't know if its the same number but....

Brian

Many, many moons ago, as a teenager, I belonged to Lockheed-Georgia's Credit 
Union (my dad was an employee).  I recall hearing something distinctly similar 
to the base note, but I do not recall the reasoning for the statement.  

If it is (at least, in part) true, it may not be a DCU thing so much as a 
Federal Credit Union thing.

-Andy 

I know who Dawn's talking about in .4, and I can assure you that the excuse DCU
gave is the exact same one in .2.

However, it was nonsense back then, and it is still nonsense today.  If DCU
hasn't been smart enough to fix the software by themselves, I see no reason why
anyone shouldn't feel free to use existing bylaws and complaints to the NCUA to 
pressure them to fix it.

Re .0:

If a relative (spouse, etc.) kept an open associated account while yours was
closed, then demand an account on the basis that close relatives of people with 
DCU accounts are also entitled to have accounts.
				/AHM

    re .4, .9
    So did the anonymous, um, reincarnatee push to get an account,
    or did he/she decide it was too much trouble?

    
    Anybody denied DCU membership may request the reason IN WRITING
    according to the Bylaws.  It should then be included as documentation
    in a formal complaint to the NCUA.  They may rule that the reason is
    inappropriate.  Let's not let DCU get away with using this tactic at
    its convenience.  A credit union must always have an open door policy. 
    I can't believe such a situation exists at DCU.  Something like this
    should have been #1 on the list of things to change or fix.
    
    Just another iten to add to the list...

The person figured if DCU didn't want her money, she could find another
institution that did (and she did).  Since then, she's left DIGITAL again. 
I suppose if her track record holds, she'll come back in another couple of
years and try again. :-)

	
	So, DCU, are you suggesting that if people ever intend to come
	back in the future, instead of closing our accounts we should
	keep one account active?  Perhaps just a small amount on deposit,
	just enough to not accrue fees?

	Because of DCU's software limitations, they are promoting the use
	of inactive accounts with small balances.  Just what they are
	trying to get rid of.

	Go figure.

	-- Jim
 

>So, DCU, are you suggesting that if people ever intend to come
>	back in the future, instead of closing our accounts we should
>	keep one account active?  Perhaps just a small amount on deposit,
>	just enough to not accrue fees?

...the $2.50 monthly fee for inactive accounts.

/Ed

    Back in the days before computers were invented and computerized
    match-ups weren't posible, businesses got in the habit of using
    significant codes for ID fields.  This practise was followed for a
    while in the early days of computerization, but has lessened greatly
    as the pitfalls of these significant ID fields have manifested
    themselves, usually in the forms of inflexibility and increased
    overhead costs.
    
    In the case of the DCU, they have obviously used the significant ID
    field strategy for designing the DCU member ID and we are now
    experiencing the results.  We obviously need to make changes if for no 
    other reason than to allow resignation and reinstatement of membership.  
    It might also be more efficient economically.  Certainly, it should be
    considered.  In any case, members should be allowed to resign and then 
    re-join.  If the current computer system(s) interfere with that, then 
    that's one more criticism of the current power structure.
    
    It would seem to me that the Board of Directors candidate who'd get my
    vote would advocate at least looking into modernizing the computer
    system(s).
    
                                            Kurt